The Brutal Telling

"The Brutal Telling" is the eighth book in Louise Penny's mystery series featuring Inspector Armand Gamache. Once again Gamache is back in Three Pines...this time to solve a murder that is closer to home than ever.

Louise Penny has a wonderful talent for writing mystery novels. Her plots are intricate and never fail to entertain me and keep me guessing. Each of her many returning characters grow more complex with each book. And the poetry of Ruth Zardo? No Louise Penny book would be complete without it.

Jacket notes: "Chaos is coming, son. With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and children say goodbye to summer, a stranger is found murdered in the village bistro and antiques store. Once again, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in to strip back layers of lies, exposing both treasures and rancid secrets buried in the wilderness. No one admits to knowing the murdered man, but as secrets are revealed, chaos begins to close in on the beloved bistro owner, Olivier. How did he make such a spectacular success of his business? What past did he leave behind and why has he buried himself in this tiny village? And why does every lead in the investigation find its way back to him? "

An excellent murder mystery set in the Countryside of Quebec. The author did a great job of keeping you in suspense from the first page until the end.

This book started off really good and then slowed to a snails pace. At times it was confusing trying to keep all the characters straight. Saying this the characters were jumping out of the pages and the visual descriptions of both the area the story took place in and the foods were brilliant. But the story lagged and the ending was tangled.

Book 5 in the Inspector Armand Gamache series

In her latest novel, Louise Penny brings her readers back to the village of Three Pines where we will find Inspector Gamache facing another murder scene.

When a body has been found in Olivier Brulé's Bistro, Inspector Gamache is summoned to Three Pines with his investigative team from the Sûreté du Québec. It is soon discovered that the victim an elderly gentleman was murdered elsewhere and strategically relocated to the bistro. Why was the body left at the only café in town and why is the owner Olivier Brulé appearing to be so evasive when questioned, does he have something to hide?

With old fashioned leg work and teamwork we are lead into a suspenseful tale of whodunit in a tiny rural community that has a colourful history of its own and a seemingly dream lifestyle and location to many a city dweller.

The story has several clues and possible culprits creating an intrigue that keeps the reader guessing till the very end. With the discovery of priceless art treasures and the name Charlotte, Inspector Gamache is lured to Queen Charlotte Islands in search of further clues. Skilful writing paints a dazzling and vivid picture of both communities and their surroundings capturing the unique culture of its people. The mysterious community of Three Pines is richly characterized as an idyllic village, a place to linger and wander about, a modern day Shangri-La.

"The Brutal Telling" is more than your typical mystery; it is a trip into the inner soul. In her writing, Miss Penny manages to reach her readers' emotions by highlighting what is often taken for granted: our interaction with each other, gruesome details are left to the imagination making it a light mystery.